Hi Guys the Raffle has now ended and the winners will be announced shortly in an up coming update video. I look forward to hearing what you think of this and what you would like to see more of. All the very best, cheers J
@@matthornton44 I hope it doesn't but it's certainly alerted me to few potential incidents, especially whilst I was away the one time and called the police who acted surprisingly fast. Turned out it was just a dog that had escaped from some local gypsies but knowing it was gypsy dog was enough for me to worry about leaving my stuff unattended.
Absolutely LOVE your quote at the end. “ *By working diligently with your hands, forge for yourselves a life worth living* .” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I have never watched your channel and I must say that your oration, scripting, videography, editing and choice of material for your videos ALL are spot on. I do not do laser cutting but I am quite mechanically oriented and wondered if there was an issue with build up of smoke, and or particulate matter on the laser lens? Where all the heat cracked the glass was the inspiration for this question. Great video and I love to live the vicarious life through makers like yourself that create quality content on interesting subject matter.
Thank you so much, that's very kind of you. The lens is kept clear because the laser nozzle is continually purged with air, this is known as air assist and helps to blow away chard material whilst cutting. If I fire breaks out though it acts as a bellows. Cheers J
The monotone voice and fast pace is , to me at least, rather jarring...a purely personal thing and may not bother others.... Kinda like Project Farm who does great product testing but his voice gives me a headache ... 😣😂 😎👍☘️🍺
I love all desktop CNC fabrication technology - lasers, milling, lathes, pick and place, 3D additive fab, etc. It allows people in their home to do extremely creative things, and even small scale fabrication too to start a business.
Hey. To stop the SS warping you can mount it on a copper backing plate. Works well when tig welding and i can only imagine it would work for the laser etching by sucking the heat out of the SS. Give it a go 😁
Thank you, because the laser is so localised it only works with firm clamping, welding can be strong backed to account for warping but considering my table is a large heat sink I don't think copper backing will be as effective as you hope. Cheers J
11:15: In Lightburn use right-click -> trace image wow, just WOW!!! I have been trying so many tools to get stuff decently vectorized and the only really working option was a really expensive tool that only allows for a 1-week trial before a hefty price tag that's just too much for a private user like me to swallow... And now you're telling me Lightburn has this already BUILT-IN!?! Josuha, you are my new hero! Thank you SO MUCH!! That right there earns you a subscription :-)
Thank you so much. FYI you can also save the path as a DXF file and import it into CAD software so you can modify it or send it out to a profile cutting company to cut for you. Cheers J
Omg I want it... the elderflower 🍾 I made that 3 years ago, lovely stuff. Right that laser is amazing, I wish I had the pennies for one.. thanks josh. Amazing
Hey that diesel heater .. use a 13.5mm OD and 4.5mm ID washer cut from the lid of a Chinese food container. place this between the brushed and the bearing. no more contamination by brush material in the bearing. OR use a 6252RS rather than the 625 ZZ they come with.
I believe the Brother Scan N Cut DX series can read .DXF formatted files. They don't currently use a laser diode attachment. But it means that these types of files can be interpreted for a personal digital cutter/plotter for other types of applications. Such as cutting out the patterns in cloth, EVA foam, thin leathers, using the etching tools from Zoom for engraving soft metals such as copper and aluminum. Material thickness limit is 3 mm for cutting soft materials from paper to EVA foam. Patterns could also be used to make foiled designs, embossed designs, custom cut greeting cards, lamp shades, etc.
When I was a pup, I did my internship at Trumpf laser in Farmington Connecticut. I worked with various Co2 and ND YAG lasers for cutting welding and etching. This was back in the 90's. Its nice to see the tech that was in R&D for commercial use is making its way into homes for hobbyist at a affordable price point. When I worked for Coherent, we were working on prototype machines now commonly know as 3D SLA printers today. I had no idea what I was working on at the time would be so common today.
Hi. Yes you can still enter the raffle. Shipping isn't included but If you win and the shipping is too expensive I'll give you the money instead. If enough tickets sell I'll include free shipping. Cheers J
Idk about home co2 lasers but I have etched on industrial co2 lasers on stainless. That being said that little machine looks pretty good for the price imo. 👌
Thank you. It must be the type of frequency that makes a difference. Maybe the industrial type can etch stainless because they're so much more powerful too. Cheers J
Thank you Benjamin. I've not got the space to hold on to them which is why I raffle them off to make space for the new ones, I will however do a comparison of my top 5 and all the reasons why. Cheers J
Interesting review. I'm still waiting for someone to produce a combination of galvo fibre laser and gantry system. You could etch/cut in the same way as an inkjet prints. It would be soooo much quicker and kinder on the machine than having to run it like a crazed thing for hours.
The main problem you have is the focal length of the lens in use. With bigger lasers you can change the lens, which means you can have the focus point in the middle of the depth of wood rather that on it's surface. With your lens and a focus point on the top you get a cone shaped laser beam meaning you have a small focused point of the top and a large wide unfocused point at the bottom. And having a better air pump that can force more air through the nozzle also reduces burning (makes no difference with acrylic BTW).
Thank you. I've cut a lot of suede leather for a product I'm working on. I have some thick wax leather and a few other bits, I'll test it in my next video filming next week. Cheers J
The only niggle I have is that you would not want to be running it at 100% as you would burn the head out fairly quickly! Would a couple of passes at lower power have the same effect? Or just slower speed and a single pass? Eather way, it was a great video! I like it!
thank you yes thats the beauty of a more powerful laser is you can still get great cuts at 80% and I recomend faster with more passes for a clean cut. cheers J
Yes, I always run cut tests at max 60% 'cos I'm paranoid and have lost a few modules running 100%. Although they probably failed for other reasons I don't want to take risk with these more powerful and expensive assemblies. Less power, less speed, more passes works for me as long as the cut geometry doesn't require the laser to dwell too long around a certain feature and heat it up too much (only a problem if using optimized multiple passes). I've been appealing to Lightburn devs to offer a 'cut distributed mode' in vector cuts to prevent any one area getting too much attention - important for thermoplastic cutting and even applicable to engraving melt vulnerable materials. I'd rather have the laser scan over non-engraved areas in a uniform pattern just to keep any heating effect consistent. A good example here is when cutting kapton tape to make stencils. The default optimisations (in LB) will often melt at some points and fail to penetrate at others. An option for consistent burn over speed would be useful, but I appreciate that a good cut strategy would involve taking the material properties into account. However, with more optimization options, that could be left to the end user. If I get a melting problem I just run one job multiple times rather than specifying multiple passes in the cut options.
My plasma is the ortur lm 5w, I can put the original laser module back on it anytime but the controller won't support the new 30w modules. It's mainly to do with the pwm power supply. You could theoretically use one of these new 30w controllers as a plasma machine however it's not clear how the HF will affect the new controllers. I'll be building my big plasma table using a 10w laser that has an offline controller. One of the things I've looked at to minimize HF interference that a lot of people have trouble with is a ferrite ring on the controller wires. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Thanks for the quick redponse👍🏻When are you planning on the big table build? Anytime soon? That will be interesting to see. Thanks again! Enjoy seeing your work..
It has more than enough power to permanently blind you if any of that beam makes it into your eye for even a split second. If this happens, remember to take good care of the remaining eye, because if it happens again it's lights out for you. Or you know maybe build a proper enclosure for it and make sure the transparent material used for the viewing port 100% blocks that vawelength.
had to watch the video again. i entered the raffle and it took me forever to figure out the monetary value of all the choices and i missed the whole video. i more than likely still got it wrong though. and they say imperial measuring is complicated.
Wondering what sort of life usage would you get from the diode? Appreciate it's dependant on intensity etc but any info from the supplier? tried to find warranty info and diode replacement costs etc on the site but none available... Thanks for the review.
I'm not too sure because there are several factors but 10000hours is what seems to be acceptable for a diode laser. One issue is using them on 100% power continuously degrades them quickly because they overheat or have done in the past. Some manufacturers are putting more powerful fan systems to help cool more efficiently but tend to be louder. The tech is improving quite fast and even manufacturers are asking for my thoughts whilst developing the next generation of lasers, which was very nice to think that my opinion matters to them. cheers J
WOW! that IS the actual output! I'm surprised that the diodes alone aren't over $1k. I'm off to find out just how many diode chips make up that beam.... One suggestion might be to use nitrogen as the flush gas - great fire suppression :)
No the optical output is 33w, the electrical input is aprx 180w. The diode consists of 6x 6w optical lasers combined by mirrors, it should be 36w but there is a slight inefficiency in the coupling. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Laser tech seems to have progressed quite some as I seem to remember laser with that kind of output power needing >1000W input power...
Hi, great video. I have a question…. I’m a shop owner and sell lots of knives. I’m looking for a laser to engrave names and the like one knives like Opinel , wooden handle knives and also on blades. What would you recommend as a machine ? Thanks in advance and keep up the great content .
Thank you. For blades I would recommend a fibre laser, they're very quick likely 1000x faster. They can only do small engravings up to 120mm square but that's plenty for custom knives. I think laserpecker3 is potentially good for steel and possibly the xTool F1 but I haven't tested those yet to see. Cheers J
no-go! (20W) had to change the $$ to get +- descent repeatability, wifi very bad & using the app to do a job you are limited in speed or you lose steps. Still, the laser itself seems to be pretty good.
Once again, another great video. I don't have the need for a laser (or do I?!!) but still had to watch. I'll be forging tomorrow. Just wondering...can it cut thin guage steel (mild or s/s)?
Thank you. No these lasers can't cut steel, you need at least a 2kw Version for that, but my cheap laser I converted to a plasma table works really well. Cheers J
I've been watching a lot of your videos and they're really helpful. I'm looking for a diode laser that I can use for engraving and cutting MDF/Plywood for woodworking templates. the Xtool 40W is a crazy amount of money since I'd have to buy the unit, 40w diode, and air assist. This looks like it might be more reasonable. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you so much. The xTool bundle is cheaper than buying individually but still £1650. I think the 40w is the currently the most efficient laser I've reviewed at 12.5mm per watt cutting 9mm plywood compared to 8.5mm per watt on the 30w lasers. The xTool cut 9mm ply at 500mm/min compared to ACMER which did it at 250mm/min. The xTool is £500 more but double the performance. I'm reviewing the comgrow z1 pro 20w next which is the cheapest In the 20w category. Cheers J
Hi Karl, Im willing to ship it overseas but I've not included shipping fees, if the raffle earns enough I'll definitely ship it free of charge, if not and shipping is too expensive then the winner gets the cash instead. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle I went to the website and it says it will cut 0.1mm stainless steel. Not sure what that means, will it cut 0.2mm with two passes and 0.3mm with 3 passes?
@@mavamQ ok it could probably cut stainless foil at 0.1mm but I don't really know an application where that would be useful. Most stainless steel parts I get cut are 3-8mm thick and done with a laser machine that costs £500k. My plasma table can cut up to 20mm thick but has a 3mm kurf width and heavy dross. Cheers J
I don't know an xtool costs about the same and this laser can do more than it can. So by comparison I think it's about the same price wise. Now what remains to be seen it's the machine's longevity. Xtool has a good reputation for building quality lasers that last.
@@cybyrd9615 true but it makes very little impact especially if you get the kerf width correct. A wider laser actually engraved faster too as it covers a wider area with each pass. Cheers J
Joshua great videos as always. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friend. Very nice job. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep forge lit. Keep Making. God Bless.
Good that it comes with somekind of shielding, but I don't understand why they just don't make shielding frame of ie. 2020. Wouldn't add cost virtually at all. I mean I would gladly shell like 50-100 euros gladly for ready cut parts. Btw I'm curious about stainless etching with laser. Could you show in some future video how well it stick by rubbing it bit with like vlies 300 grit or something? Apparently that flame stop function is quite a big miss, but otherwise quite impressive thing.
Thank you, I've done few stainless etchings on different machines and they're all pretty good. Even if polished out you can feel the dimple of the etching left behind. Cheers J
acrylic will get harder when cold.. My dad told me a long time ago.. They used it on pressure vessels with cold butane, when it got colder it got stronger..
Thank you, thats good to know, I was afraid if it gets harder it becomes more brittle, i'm thinking of the screws i put into it but they should contract and go slightly loose in winter so it shouldn't be an issue. cheers J
Mm/m broke my brain for a second. I work in mm/s when he said 24000mm/m I was like, no, that's not even possible. Then, the second time he said it, I heard him correctly and clued in.
Thank you, Joshua, for sharing such a fantastic video. ACMER is also excitedly inviting everyone to join our event and have a chance to win a cash prize, even if you don't have a laser engraving machine. Our event will start in 3 days.
@@joshuadelisle Plasma is fine for thicker material, but if you're only looking 1-2mm plasma cutting can destroy that. Fibre is an option, but way too expensive for a hobby workshop. Loving the channel by the way :)
@@phils_arcade If the settings right plasma can cut 1mm very clean but depends entirely on the quality of the plasma torch. Otherwise if it's only 1mm I would recommend electronic hand shears as they're very quick and clean. Cheers mate
@@joshuadelisle they are those little white plastic plugs with the tiny pins in them- the pins are rated at only 2A and are spaced at 2mm (2mmm pitch = spacing). They are abosolutely NOTORIOUS for making intermittant contact, breaking, or burning up from arcing, because they have no positive fixation/locking or strain relief and the pin goes into a tiny bit of aluminum that makes poor contact. I would turn off out the useless fire alarm, put a pyrotechnic extinguisher like an Element or a bomb type extinguisher in the enclosure instead, and add an aviation connector on the rotary plug- and hardwire every other 2mm plug on the machine.
Polycarbonate would be better for outdoors use. It's more expensive than PMMA but way stronger, and it doesn't burn. A piece of PC that thick would probably stop a small bullet.
@@joshuadelisle Wait, You're insane, I'm impressed you answered me.. and so fast at the same time. You said If i was paying more than 1000 USD Id be industrial. what does that mean? Can i Get a co2 cutter for less than 1000 usd?
Hi Joshua, How are you doing with the 3D Printing? Be good to see a video update about the things y are doing and what you learned? I myself have saved up and ordered a new Elegoo Neptune 3 Max FDM 3D Printer which is their biggest one so far. Bed is 420 mm square and 500 mm height of printing. They also do a Plus version of 320 mm square bed and 400 mm height of printing. the Max costs $470 and the Plus costs $350. I most likely be selling my Elegoo Saturn 2 Resin 8K 3D printer even though it is god because of getting rid of the resin filled washing water after the water washable resin is washed from the models in the Mercury XS wash and cure system I also brought is still Toxic rated and can't be put down the drain or sink, I have 14 liters stored in plastic containers that I can't set due t the sun not being that strong in good old UK, and buying a Big UV lamp be over £200 so that's not helpful. In the USA and other hotter countries they just stick the water out to evaporate away and the left over resin then sets to be thrown out as trash. But not a option in the UK sun. Someone said take it to a recycle waste center? But I have no car and taking toxic water by bus be a no no in case of spills. Someone else said do small amounts under the light f the UV curing unit I got in a glass dish. But that would take tons of time and the turntable of the curing machine is a light weight one for light hollowed out resin models not heavy water filled glass dishes. Plus if I am using the curing UV unit to do any already used water the new stuff done in the resin printer can't be done due to the curing unit being busy for tons of time. So sadly I will have to sell the resin system. The costs of the lots of paper towels and gloves and resin are very pricey anyway now. Even the IPA version to wash with be far too pricey anyway. So I stick to FDM as I can get rid of the waste and bad models easy since they are corn starch based. Also I see Elegoo now released 6 new printers. 3 resin and 3 FDM. two f the FDM printers are called Neptune 4 and 4 Pro. The 4 Pro has liner rails for the Y gantry and a two zone heating area on the bed the middle for small models and the outer with the middle for big models to save on heating all the bed when the small middle sat models are on done and the outer section not needed. the Neptune 4 link > www.elegoo.com/collections/neptune-series-fdm-printers/products/elegoo-neptune-4-fdm-3d-printer or the Neptune 4 Pro www.elegoo.com/collections/neptune-series-fdm-printers/products/elegoo-neptune-4-pro-fdm-3d-printer
HI, I have a new resin printer by Heygears, the new solvo and the any cubic cobra2 to review shortly. I'll take into consideration the issues you've had for my review. thank you, cheers J
When cutting wood, why not make an inert gas envelope. For example, put a block of dry ice inside the plastic enclosure. The sublimated CO2 gas is heaver than air so it should make an inert layer of CO2 right where the laser is cutting the wood. The CO2 will displace the air (oxygen source) so the wood won't burn while cutting, acting as a shielding gas. Note: CO2 decomposes to CO + 0 at 2120 deg C, which can happen when cutting metal, potentially causing blowholes and splatter. In that case, you could try nitrogen or argon, both heaver than air.
you can buy a good 60W or 80W for under $100 and upgrade the whole machine you will also have less run time and if you add jet air to the laser head you will cool the items so you don't have too much burn as you are having
I think you maybe confused with electrical input and optical output. this laser is 180w input. I think the 40w optical output laser modules are £1000+. cheers J
I understand Mark and all I can say is I'm riding this wave whilst it's here because it's a stepping stone to great projects. The barrage of making will be coming I assure you. The truth is I posted a few making videos on blacksmithing recently but didn't get any views, but when I reveiw equipment it's exploded my channel. So I'm looking at building an audience and then showing what can be done. Minimal tool making tutorials are definitely on my list as well as low tech. I want to forge my horse sculptures again at some point, but that wasn't very profitable at the time. What specifically would you like to see?
Could be worse. This is a test video, car reviewers have started doing videos where they walk round the new car parroting parameters about something they won't be able to drive for a year.
I personally have zero issues with equipment test/review videos provided they’re honest like this one appears to be. And especially when it helps me decide whether or not I want to spend $1200 on something.
@@senacht thank you. I've got more to show that are cheaper and work very well, I'll also be making more interesting things with them, such as a complete table, leather and stone engraving. These next models do have flaws that I'll be sure to point out so you can make wise decisions before purchasing. Cheers J
@@kaleygoode1681 Its generally accepted that they last 10k hours+ but it really depends on how cool the diodes are kept whilst running. The better the fan the louder they are. If you're running at 100% power continuously then you risk overheating the diode and wearing it out quickly. Cheers J
Hi Guys the Raffle has now ended and the winners will be announced shortly in an up coming update video.
I look forward to hearing what you think of this and what you would like to see more of.
All the very best, cheers J
Love the video Josh! As usual well presented. I’d love to try etching stainless with a laser.
@@unclehornet5122 thank you so much. It is very fun and I have done a few paying jobs engraving logos onto stainless trays for restaurants. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Laser looks good, but does that camera have spyware?
@@matthornton44 I hope it doesn't but it's certainly alerted me to few potential incidents, especially whilst I was away the one time and called the police who acted surprisingly fast. Turned out it was just a dog that had escaped from some local gypsies but knowing it was gypsy dog was enough for me to worry about leaving my stuff unattended.
Great idea. I'm in.
Absolutely LOVE your quote at the end. “ *By working diligently with your hands, forge for yourselves a life worth living* .” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Thank you so much. I hope it helps. Cheers J
I have never watched your channel and I must say that your oration, scripting, videography, editing and choice of material for your videos ALL are spot on. I do not do laser cutting but I am quite mechanically oriented and wondered if there was an issue with build up of smoke, and or particulate matter on the laser lens? Where all the heat cracked the glass was the inspiration for this question.
Great video and I love to live the vicarious life through makers like yourself that create quality content on interesting subject matter.
Thank you so much, that's very kind of you. The lens is kept clear because the laser nozzle is continually purged with air, this is known as air assist and helps to blow away chard material whilst cutting. If I fire breaks out though it acts as a bellows. Cheers J
Impressive laser - but even more impressed by your continued presentation skills.
Thank you, I'm glad you like my content. cheers J
The monotone voice and fast pace is , to me at least, rather jarring...a purely personal thing and may not bother others....
Kinda like Project Farm who does great product testing but his voice gives me a headache ... 😣😂
😎👍☘️🍺
Great video. Really like your presentation style. No fluff - straight to the point. You value our time! Cheers.
Thank you so much. Cheers J
I love all desktop CNC fabrication technology - lasers, milling, lathes, pick and place, 3D additive fab, etc. It allows people in their home to do extremely creative things, and even small scale fabrication too to start a business.
Totally 💯. Cheers J
Hey. To stop the SS warping you can mount it on a copper backing plate. Works well when tig welding and i can only imagine it would work for the laser etching by sucking the heat out of the SS. Give it a go 😁
Thank you, because the laser is so localised it only works with firm clamping, welding can be strong backed to account for warping but considering my table is a large heat sink I don't think copper backing will be as effective as you hope. Cheers J
I would love to see you review Roly Lasermatic
They look well made but only 10w from what I can see. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle 20 watt due soon. I really love the all inclusive package and price
@@EverymannProductions I'll look into it. cheers J
Hey Joshua! So many new toys for the makers out there. Videos like this gets the gears spinning on the creative possibilities.
Thank you so much, I've got lots lots more to show off, its a lot of fun but I do think your hands are the best tools you have. cheers J
Liking the Project Farm style no nonsense spec readthrough 🙂
yes its my preffered style of video also, project farm has nailed it for getting out facts at fast pace. cheers J
11:15: In Lightburn use right-click -> trace image
wow, just WOW!!!
I have been trying so many tools to get stuff decently vectorized and the only really working option was a really expensive tool that only allows for a 1-week trial before a hefty price tag that's just too much for a private user like me to swallow...
And now you're telling me Lightburn has this already BUILT-IN!?!
Josuha, you are my new hero!
Thank you SO MUCH!!
That right there earns you a subscription :-)
Thank you so much. FYI you can also save the path as a DXF file and import it into CAD software so you can modify it or send it out to a profile cutting company to cut for you. Cheers J
Omg I want it... the elderflower 🍾 I made that 3 years ago, lovely stuff.
Right that laser is amazing, I wish I had the pennies for one.. thanks josh. Amazing
Thank you mike, we're making 40 litres this year, great stuff! and elder berry syrup which is awesome for the immune system. Cheers J
I love your closing advice to stop watching youtube and go forge a life for ourselves "a life worth living". Excellent advice.
Thank you so much. Cheers J
Great video Joshua this would certainly be an upgrade!
Thank you so much. Lots more to come. Cheers J
Hey that diesel heater .. use a 13.5mm OD and 4.5mm ID washer cut from the lid of a Chinese food container. place this between the brushed and the bearing. no more contamination by brush material in the bearing. OR use a 6252RS rather than the 625 ZZ they come with.
Interesting, thank you. Cheers J
"and so is the Champagne" 😂 - great video again mate 👍🏼😎🙏🏼
Thank you so much. Looking forward to catching up again with you guys. Cheers J
I believe the Brother Scan N Cut DX series can read .DXF formatted files. They don't currently use a laser diode attachment. But it means that these types of files can be interpreted for a personal digital cutter/plotter for other types of applications. Such as cutting out the patterns in cloth, EVA foam, thin leathers, using the etching tools from Zoom for engraving soft metals such as copper and aluminum. Material thickness limit is 3 mm for cutting soft materials from paper to EVA foam. Patterns could also be used to make foiled designs, embossed designs, custom cut greeting cards, lamp shades, etc.
Great Quality Video, I love all the detailed information at the start, that's basically all my questions answered.
Thanks
Thank you Joe. Cheers J
wow, I need to get myself one of those "magic assembly hammers" that you demonstrated at the start of the video!
No tool is better than a good hammer. cheers J
Great content. Really enjoyed. Learned a lot. Thank you! Keep em coming.
Thank you so much. cheers J
When I was a pup, I did my internship at Trumpf laser in Farmington Connecticut. I worked with various Co2 and ND YAG lasers for cutting welding and etching. This was back in the 90's. Its nice to see the tech that was in R&D for commercial use is making its way into homes for hobbyist at a affordable price point. When I worked for Coherent, we were working on prototype machines now commonly know as 3D SLA printers today. I had no idea what I was working on at the time would be so common today.
Thats super cool to have seen the development of this technology over time, ikts amaziong how fast its picking up also.
well done. cheers J
Dude, wash your hands
@@dougtaylor9516 ??? What?
@@octogames6823 in the nicest possible way. Friendly advice
@@dougtaylor9516 im so confused, I dont get what the troll is, please explain your need to troll?
Can you show how to do the big board with the open gantry systems? Maybe a big bit of cardboard?
Thank you, I'll be doing a full size table in a future episode I'll show how I use a grid system to large inlays. Cheers J
What about if I live in Australia can I still enter , it looks amazing
Hi. Yes you can still enter the raffle. Shipping isn't included but If you win and the shipping is too expensive I'll give you the money instead. If enough tickets sell I'll include free shipping. Cheers J
I see you take the Project Farm approach to editing. Thanks for the video!
I like the information fast and project farm certainly does that well. Cheers J
No nonsense tell it as it is information, superb.
Thank you so much, I'm glad it was helpful. cheers J
Idk about home co2 lasers but I have etched on industrial co2 lasers on stainless. That being said that little machine looks pretty good for the price imo. 👌
Thank you. It must be the type of frequency that makes a difference. Maybe the industrial type can etch stainless because they're so much more powerful too. Cheers J
Try industrial strength double sided tape for holding the material....
That doesn't work for stainless steel because it heats up to over 100 degrees Celsius. Cheers J
Very skilled presentation.
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Cheers J
Fantastic finishing comment. Cheers, and great job :) -CM
Thank you so much. Cheers J
I tried cutting polonia wood on my Sculpfun S30 10w and it kept catching fire exactly like yours.
Yes I think the key is speed and multiple passes, with enough speed even at 20 passes is still a quick cut. Cheers J
Excellent review of a good piece a kit.
Does it make coffee 🤔
Thanks for sharing 👍
Thank you, I wish it did. cheers J
You are great! Keep it up!
You're very kind. Thank you. Cheers J
Thank you for your quick and concise review
I try to make content I want to watch myself, I'm glad you like it. cheers J
Can you do a company video of all the l
Machines you have. Thank you for all the in depth content you provide
Thank you Benjamin. I've not got the space to hold on to them which is why I raffle them off to make space for the new ones, I will however do a comparison of my top 5 and all the reasons why. Cheers J
thought i recognized the name glad to see it arrived safely
Its not fun when they don't. cheers J
Interesting review. I'm still waiting for someone to produce a combination of galvo fibre laser and gantry system. You could etch/cut in the same way as an inkjet prints. It would be soooo much quicker and kinder on the machine than having to run it like a crazed thing for hours.
That would be great, let's see what new tech is around the corner, stuff is evolving like crazy. Cheers J
Really well done!
Thank you. Cheers J
Thx for the review. Small detail for future vids: mm/min not mm/pm 😊
Thank you. Cheers J
The main problem you have is the focal length of the lens in use. With bigger lasers you can change the lens, which means you can have the focus point in the middle of the depth of wood rather that on it's surface. With your lens and a focus point on the top you get a cone shaped laser beam meaning you have a small focused point of the top and a large wide unfocused point at the bottom. And having a better air pump that can force more air through the nozzle also reduces burning (makes no difference with acrylic BTW).
Thanks for the video .Is a good review .
Thank you so much. cheers J
You should test those glasses
Good idea. cheers J
My version of light burn does not have those test options. I think I need an upgrade!
If it doesn't I think the updates are free. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle I think the updates are free for 12 months, after that then you need to pay for an upgrade.
Can it cut very thin polycarbonate without leaving a terrible edge?
This will not cut clear polycarbonate but it can do opaque. cheers J
keep up the good work
Thank you so much. Cheers J
Great video, have you run any varieties of leather on your machines? I'm wondering how these high power cutters handle thick veg tan leather
Thank you. I've cut a lot of suede leather for a product I'm working on. I have some thick wax leather and a few other bits, I'll test it in my next video filming next week. Cheers J
The only niggle I have is that you would not want to be running it at 100% as you would burn the head out fairly quickly!
Would a couple of passes at lower power have the same effect? Or just slower speed and a single pass?
Eather way, it was a great video! I like it!
thank you yes thats the beauty of a more powerful laser is you can still get great cuts at 80% and I recomend faster with more passes for a clean cut. cheers J
Yes, I always run cut tests at max 60% 'cos I'm paranoid and have lost a few modules running 100%. Although they probably failed for other reasons I don't want to take risk with these more powerful and expensive assemblies. Less power, less speed, more passes works for me as long as the cut geometry doesn't require the laser to dwell too long around a certain feature and heat it up too much (only a problem if using optimized multiple passes).
I've been appealing to Lightburn devs to offer a 'cut distributed mode' in vector cuts to prevent any one area getting too much attention - important for thermoplastic cutting and even applicable to engraving melt vulnerable materials. I'd rather have the laser scan over non-engraved areas in a uniform pattern just to keep any heating effect consistent. A good example here is when cutting kapton tape to make stencils. The default optimisations (in LB) will often melt at some points and fail to penetrate at others. An option for consistent burn over speed would be useful, but I appreciate that a good cut strategy would involve taking the material properties into account. However, with more optimization options, that could be left to the end user.
If I get a melting problem I just run one job multiple times rather than specifying multiple passes in the cut options.
Can the plasma cutter be adapted to this laser cutter?
My plasma is the ortur lm 5w, I can put the original laser module back on it anytime but the controller won't support the new 30w modules. It's mainly to do with the pwm power supply. You could theoretically use one of these new 30w controllers as a plasma machine however it's not clear how the HF will affect the new controllers. I'll be building my big plasma table using a 10w laser that has an offline controller. One of the things I've looked at to minimize HF interference that a lot of people have trouble with is a ferrite ring on the controller wires. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Thanks for the quick redponse👍🏻When are you planning on the big table build? Anytime soon? That will be interesting to see. Thanks again! Enjoy seeing your work..
@@hchump1968 thank you. it will made as soon as I get the time or desperate for a job. So no idea but hopefully soon. Cheers J
How does it stay in focus through those extreme thicknesses?
The technology has improved a lot. The beam remains linear for over 50mm. Cheers J
Fantastic review. I'm definitely not in the market but I do know quite a few who might be. Based on this review, I am definitely sharing it.
Thank you Clyde. I've got more lasers to share with you very soon. Cheers J
to pricey for me,
but its always good to see new tec
and what it can do 😊😊
these are fun toys to have but yes very pricey for me also, I'm very greatful I get to test these out and see if they are worth it or not. cheers J
Another top draw video. So much products out there such as you have reviewed. Keep up with the channel.
Thank you. I've lots more and will do more comparisons too. Cheers J
It has more than enough power to permanently blind you if any of that beam makes it into your eye for even a split second.
If this happens, remember to take good care of the remaining eye, because if it happens again it's lights out for you.
Or you know maybe build a proper enclosure for it and make sure the transparent material used for the viewing port 100% blocks that vawelength.
Definitely. Cheers J
had to watch the video again. i entered the raffle and it took me forever to figure out the monetary value of all the choices and i missed the whole video. i more than likely still got it wrong though. and they say imperial measuring is complicated.
Thank you so much. I hope you're all sorted. Thank you for the extra view. Cheers J
That is seriously impressive
Thank you. Cheers J
Wondering what sort of life usage would you get from the diode? Appreciate it's dependant on intensity etc but any info from the supplier? tried to find warranty info and diode replacement costs etc on the site but none available... Thanks for the review.
I'm not too sure because there are several factors but 10000hours is what seems to be acceptable for a diode laser. One issue is using them on 100% power continuously degrades them quickly because they overheat or have done in the past. Some manufacturers are putting more powerful fan systems to help cool more efficiently but tend to be louder. The tech is improving quite fast and even manufacturers are asking for my thoughts whilst developing the next generation of lasers, which was very nice to think that my opinion matters to them. cheers J
WOW! that IS the actual output! I'm surprised that the diodes alone aren't over $1k. I'm off to find out just how many diode chips make up that beam....
One suggestion might be to use nitrogen as the flush gas - great fire suppression :)
No the optical output is 33w, the electrical input is aprx 180w. The diode consists of 6x 6w optical lasers combined by mirrors, it should be 36w but there is a slight inefficiency in the coupling. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Laser tech seems to have progressed quite some as I seem to remember laser with that kind of output power needing >1000W input power...
Another awesome video. Thank you 🙏
Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. cheers J
Hi, great video. I have a question…. I’m a shop owner and sell lots of knives. I’m looking for a laser to engrave names and the like one knives like Opinel , wooden handle knives and also on blades. What would you recommend as a machine ?
Thanks in advance and keep up the great content .
Thank you. For blades I would recommend a fibre laser, they're very quick likely 1000x faster. They can only do small engravings up to 120mm square but that's plenty for custom knives. I think laserpecker3 is potentially good for steel and possibly the xTool F1 but I haven't tested those yet to see. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Thank you for the heads up. I will do the research, Have a great day
Do you believe that is possible to do good PCB`s with this machine?
I've not tried it so I can't say for sure. Cheers J
No link to the raffle Joshua !!!
coming shortly i'm finishing it now, will send you the link. cheers J
here you go: raffall.com/340624/enter-raffle-to-win-acmer-p2-33w-laser-cutter-hosted-by-joshua-de-lisle
Fantastic
Thank you. Cheers J
no-go! (20W) had to change the $$ to get +- descent repeatability, wifi very bad & using the app to do a job you are limited in speed or you lose steps. Still, the laser itself seems to be pretty good.
Thank you. Yes I'm not a fan the WiFi on any of my lasers. cheers J
Subscribed
9:31 - "Very yummy. And so's the champagne!" 😆
Totally. Cheers J
Thats pretty impressive Joshua. Puts my Ray5 10w to shame. I want!
wait until you see whats coming next... cheers J
Once again, another great video. I don't have the need for a laser (or do I?!!) but still had to watch.
I'll be forging tomorrow.
Just wondering...can it cut thin guage steel (mild or s/s)?
Thank you. No these lasers can't cut steel, you need at least a 2kw Version for that, but my cheap laser I converted to a plasma table works really well. Cheers J
I've been watching a lot of your videos and they're really helpful. I'm looking for a diode laser that I can use for engraving and cutting MDF/Plywood for woodworking templates. the Xtool 40W is a crazy amount of money since I'd have to buy the unit, 40w diode, and air assist. This looks like it might be more reasonable. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you so much. The xTool bundle is cheaper than buying individually but still £1650. I think the 40w is the currently the most efficient laser I've reviewed at 12.5mm per watt cutting 9mm plywood compared to 8.5mm per watt on the 30w lasers. The xTool cut 9mm ply at 500mm/min compared to ACMER which did it at 250mm/min. The xTool is £500 more but double the performance. I'm reviewing the comgrow z1 pro 20w next which is the cheapest In the 20w category. Cheers J
Would this be shipped to the USA if someone won it?
Hi Karl, Im willing to ship it overseas but I've not included shipping fees, if the raffle earns enough I'll definitely ship it free of charge, if not and shipping is too expensive then the winner gets the cash instead. Cheers J
Have you tried cutting Delrin by any chance? Although opaque, it's typically milk white and quite a tough material.
I haven't but I'll try it. Cheers J
Great video, Josh! Quick question-Do you or have you used Dry Molybdenum Lubricant Spray for your laser etching?
Thank you. I haven't, do you recomend it? Cheers J
Liked and subscribed :) Have seen some of your clips before and this one was really good so clicked them both
Thank you so much. Cheers J
No link for raffle (or I’m being slow)
Thank you, here it is: raffall.com/340624/enter-raffle-to-win-acmer-p2-33w-laser-cutter-hosted-by-joshua-de-lisle
Would it cut through the stainless steel?
No it can only etch stainless. You need a 2kw+ to cut metal or use a plasma torch. Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle I went to the website and it says it will cut 0.1mm stainless steel. Not sure what that means, will it cut 0.2mm with two passes and 0.3mm with 3 passes?
@@mavamQ ok it could probably cut stainless foil at 0.1mm but I don't really know an application where that would be useful. Most stainless steel parts I get cut are 3-8mm thick and done with a laser machine that costs £500k. My plasma table can cut up to 20mm thick but has a 3mm kurf width and heavy dross. Cheers J
What is the trimmer tool at 8:45 ?
HI, Its a chamfer tool, i've updated the description of the video and put links in there for you. cheers J
I don't know an xtool costs about the same and this laser can do more than it can. So by comparison I think it's about the same price wise. Now what remains to be seen it's the machine's longevity. Xtool has a good reputation for building quality lasers that last.
40w xTool video coming out tomorrow. Stay tuned. Cheers J
This one is very well made still. Cheers mate
@@joshuadelislethe spot size on the XTool 40W is 3x larger than the ATEZR doubt it will be better than this
@@cybyrd9615 true but it makes very little impact especially if you get the kerf width correct. A wider laser actually engraved faster too as it covers a wider area with each pass. Cheers J
Joshua great videos as always. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friend. Very nice job. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep forge lit. Keep Making. God Bless.
Thank you so much always for your encouragement, God bless you. cheers J
What about creating circuitboards? Is there enough power? Or will it melt the whole board?
I'll look into that. Any specific kind? Cheers J
Good that it comes with somekind of shielding, but I don't understand why they just don't make shielding frame of ie. 2020. Wouldn't add cost virtually at all. I mean I would gladly shell like 50-100 euros gladly for ready cut parts. Btw I'm curious about stainless etching with laser. Could you show in some future video how well it stick by rubbing it bit with like vlies 300 grit or something? Apparently that flame stop function is quite a big miss, but otherwise quite impressive thing.
Thank you, I've done few stainless etchings on different machines and they're all pretty good. Even if polished out you can feel the dimple of the etching left behind. Cheers J
acrylic will get harder when cold.. My dad told me a long time ago.. They used it on pressure vessels with cold butane, when it got colder it got stronger..
Thank you, thats good to know, I was afraid if it gets harder it becomes more brittle, i'm thinking of the screws i put into it but they should contract and go slightly loose in winter so it shouldn't be an issue. cheers J
Mm/m broke my brain for a second. I work in mm/s when he said 24000mm/m I was like, no, that's not even possible. Then, the second time he said it, I heard him correctly and clued in.
I'll try and use both in the next videos, cheers J
@Joshua De Lisle haha not your fault. mm/m is totally acceptable. it was just me.
Thank you, Joshua, for sharing such a fantastic video. ACMER is also excitedly inviting everyone to join our event and have a chance to win a cash prize, even if you don't have a laser engraving machine. Our event will start in 3 days.
Can I be the one to say it: Gothic Stormtrooper armor?
Actually a great idea. he'll love that. cheers J
I'm still looking a bench top multi purpose machine that can handle metal as well.
My original Ortur is modified for plasma cutting. I think its best to keep the laser away from the plasma so they're in seperate workshops. cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Plasma is fine for thicker material, but if you're only looking 1-2mm plasma cutting can destroy that. Fibre is an option, but way too expensive for a hobby workshop.
Loving the channel by the way :)
it can etch metal but not cut it. cheers J
@@phils_arcade If the settings right plasma can cut 1mm very clean but depends entirely on the quality of the plasma torch. Otherwise if it's only 1mm I would recommend electronic hand shears as they're very quick and clean. Cheers mate
Multi purpose? Go for a CNC. You get good ones for around 2-3k.
I want to see you build that suit of armor for your son!
I'll have to now I've said it 😅, someone suggested why not stormtrooper armour in the style of medieval gothic. I like that. Cheers mate
The one glaring flaw is the 2mm pitch plugs.
What are pitch plugs? Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle they are those little white plastic plugs with the tiny pins in them- the pins are rated at only 2A and are spaced at 2mm (2mmm pitch = spacing). They are abosolutely NOTORIOUS for making intermittant contact, breaking, or burning up from arcing, because they have no positive fixation/locking or strain relief and the pin goes into a tiny bit of aluminum that makes poor contact.
I would turn off out the useless fire alarm, put a pyrotechnic extinguisher like an Element or a bomb type extinguisher in the enclosure instead, and add an aviation connector on the rotary plug- and hardwire every other 2mm plug on the machine.
No rafle link?
yes i'm editing the listing, didn't finish it in time, I will let you know. cheers J
these all look like a derivative of Ortur / XTool / Atomstack / etc
I wonder if they are all from the same parent company?
Very likely the same factory or at least the parts are. Cheers J
"Very yummy. And so is the champagne." DEAD 🤣💀
Polycarbonate would be better for outdoors use. It's more expensive than PMMA but way stronger, and it doesn't burn. A piece of PC that thick would probably stop a small bullet.
I like lasers. I would like one that could cut acrylic for me.. that would be nice.
This diode one does opaque very well but not clear acrylic, you need a co2 laser for that. cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Wait, You're insane, I'm impressed you answered me.. and so fast at the same time. You said If i was paying more than 1000 USD Id be industrial. what does that mean? Can i Get a co2 cutter for less than 1000 usd?
@@rasmusandersen2007 Thank you. There aren't many CO2 lasers under $1k except for the K40 but I don't hear great things about it. Cheers J
Hi Joshua, How are you doing with the 3D Printing? Be good to see a video update about the things y are doing and what you learned?
I myself have saved up and ordered a new Elegoo Neptune 3 Max FDM 3D Printer which is their biggest one so far.
Bed is 420 mm square and 500 mm height of printing. They also do a Plus version of 320 mm square bed and 400 mm height of printing. the Max costs $470 and the Plus costs $350.
I most likely be selling my Elegoo Saturn 2 Resin 8K 3D printer even though it is god because of getting rid of the resin filled washing water after the water washable resin is washed from the models in the Mercury XS wash and cure system I also brought is still Toxic rated and can't be put down the drain or sink,
I have 14 liters stored in plastic containers that I can't set due t the sun not being that strong in good old UK, and buying a Big UV lamp be over £200 so that's not helpful.
In the USA and other hotter countries they just stick the water out to evaporate away and the left over resin then sets to be thrown out as trash. But not a option in the UK sun.
Someone said take it to a recycle waste center? But I have no car and taking toxic water by bus be a no no in case of spills.
Someone else said do small amounts under the light f the UV curing unit I got in a glass dish. But that would take tons of time and the turntable of the curing machine is a light weight one for light hollowed out resin models not heavy water filled glass dishes. Plus if I am using the curing UV unit to do any already used water the new stuff done in the resin printer can't be done due to the curing unit being busy for tons of time.
So sadly I will have to sell the resin system. The costs of the lots of paper towels and gloves and resin are very pricey anyway now. Even the IPA version to wash with be far too pricey anyway.
So I stick to FDM as I can get rid of the waste and bad models easy since they are corn starch based. Also I see Elegoo now released 6 new printers.
3 resin and 3 FDM. two f the FDM printers are called Neptune 4 and 4 Pro. The 4 Pro has liner rails for the Y gantry and a two zone heating area on the bed the middle for small models and the outer with the middle for big models to save on heating all the bed when the small middle sat models are on done and the outer section not needed.
the Neptune 4 link >
www.elegoo.com/collections/neptune-series-fdm-printers/products/elegoo-neptune-4-fdm-3d-printer
or
the Neptune 4 Pro
www.elegoo.com/collections/neptune-series-fdm-printers/products/elegoo-neptune-4-pro-fdm-3d-printer
HI, I have a new resin printer by Heygears, the new solvo and the any cubic cobra2 to review shortly. I'll take into consideration the issues you've had for my review. thank you, cheers J
Could you etch a printing plate and call it a laser printer
Lol why not. Cheers J
You know this could make a nice bicycle emblem that would persnalize and make you bicycle easy to recognize.
Not a bad idea. Cheers J
When cutting wood, why not make an inert gas envelope. For example, put a block of dry ice inside the plastic enclosure. The sublimated CO2 gas is heaver than air so it should make an inert layer of CO2 right where the laser is cutting the wood. The CO2 will displace the air (oxygen source) so the wood won't burn while cutting, acting as a shielding gas. Note: CO2 decomposes to CO + 0 at 2120 deg C, which can happen when cutting metal, potentially causing blowholes and splatter. In that case, you could try nitrogen or argon, both heaver than air.
Good idea. Cheers J
you can buy a good 60W or 80W for under $100 and upgrade the whole machine you will also have less run time and if you add jet air to the laser head you will cool the items so you don't have too much burn as you are having
I think you maybe confused with electrical input and optical output. this laser is 180w input. I think the 40w optical output laser modules are £1000+. cheers J
Nice
Thank you. cheers J
your links to ACMER are unsave. my browser denies going there. i think its the illegal lottery-ads on the page.
That's concerning. I'll look into that. Thank you. Cheers J
Just a comment to help out your channel.
Thank you. cheers J
I really miss the days when you actually made things instead of just commercials for products.
I understand Mark and all I can say is I'm riding this wave whilst it's here because it's a stepping stone to great projects. The barrage of making will be coming I assure you. The truth is I posted a few making videos on blacksmithing recently but didn't get any views, but when I reveiw equipment it's exploded my channel. So I'm looking at building an audience and then showing what can be done. Minimal tool making tutorials are definitely on my list as well as low tech. I want to forge my horse sculptures again at some point, but that wasn't very profitable at the time. What specifically would you like to see?
Could be worse. This is a test video, car reviewers have started doing videos where they walk round the new car parroting parameters about something they won't be able to drive for a year.
@@joshuadelisle Well, ...... at least you're honest about what you are trying to achieve... good luck !...
😎👍☘️🍺
I personally have zero issues with equipment test/review videos provided they’re honest like this one appears to be. And especially when it helps me decide whether or not I want to spend $1200 on something.
@@senacht thank you. I've got more to show that are cheaper and work very well, I'll also be making more interesting things with them, such as a complete table, leather and stone engraving. These next models do have flaws that I'll be sure to point out so you can make wise decisions before purchasing.
Cheers J
Laser diode MTBF compared to CO2 would be interesting
What do you mean by MTB? Cheers J
@@joshuadelisle Sorry, "Mean Time Before Failure"...
How long do they last?
@@kaleygoode1681 Its generally accepted that they last 10k hours+ but it really depends on how cool the diodes are kept whilst running. The better the fan the louder they are. If you're running at 100% power continuously then you risk overheating the diode and wearing it out quickly. Cheers J